Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God Rhetorical Analysis

912 Words2 Pages

In 1741 a Puritan preacher, Jonathan Edwards, delivered a sermon to a congregation in Enfield, Connecticut. He moved many people and helped them to become saved and trust in Jesus Christ. In “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, - which is the name of the sermon by Jonathan Edwards- the author uses each rhetorical appeal to connect with his congregation. The whole purpose of Edwards’ sermon was to try and get all the unsaved men in his congregation to trust in Jesus Christ as their savior and be converted. He was a very persuasive man who successfully reached out to his congregation by digging down deep and coming in contact with many people’s personal lives and making them think long and hard about why they are lucky enough to wake up every morning. In his sermon, Jonathan Edwards uses the three rhetorical appeals- ethical, emotional, and logical- to reach out to his congregation and try and help them to see why they should trust in Jesus Christ.
First, Edwards uses ethical appeals to really explain in detail what the unconverted people’s lives will be like in the future. For instance, the author states, “. . . it is nothing but his mere pleasure that …show more content…

He uses emotional appeal the most because it is easier to connect to people through their emotions. Jonathan Edwards, in my personal opinion, used all the rhetorical appeals and successfully delivered a moving sermon. After his sermon there where many people converted and who had trust in Jesus Christ as their savior. Edwards’s sermon had a dramatic effect on his listeners. Many people believe that it was all due to his fiery descriptions of hell and eternal damnation. In the background of the sermon it stated “Edwards believed that religion should be rooted not only in reason but also in emotion” (Interactive Reader

Open Document